


Broken Promises

by Pisces_writings



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, M/M, Minor nonconsensual kiss, Past Relationship(s), Slight Janus/Remus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26719720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pisces_writings/pseuds/Pisces_writings
Summary: It's been a few months since Virgil had left the dark sides and broke up with Janus. Sadly, that didn't mean Janus would leave him alone.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Kudos: 30





	Broken Promises

Virgil looked up at Janus, who was standing in the doorway of his room, "What do you want?" 

Janus rolled his eyes, "I just wanted to say hi. There's no need to be rude."

"Well you said hi, and now you can leave." 

Instead, Janus closed the door behind him and walked up to Virgil. He paused. "I missed you." He said. 

Virgil didn't meet his eyes, "Good for you, Janus."

Janus glared at him. Then he grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a rough kiss. 

Virgil pushed him away, "What are you doing?" He demanded. 

Janus smiled, "I was bored." 

"Then go be bored with Remus!"

Janus laughed at the suggestion, "Remus? Please, if I wanted to go to Remus I would have."

"Go to Roman." 

Janus sighed, "I don't want Roman." He tilted Virgil's chin upwards, "I want you." 

Virgil made the mistake of meeting his eyes. "Fuck you." He breathed.

Janus smiled, "Oh, am I getting to you already? That was quick."

"No, shut up."

Janus laughed lightly, "I can tell you're lying, Virgil." 

Virgil glared up at him, "What do you want?"

"You know what I want." Janus kissed him quickly. "It doesn't have to mean anything."

"That's what you said last time." 

"And was I wrong?" 

"Not completely."

"So why not, then?" 

Virgil paused, "I promised myself I wouldn't." 

"And you also promised that you wouldn't leave." Countered Janus. "You're not the best at keeping promises." 

Virgil continued glaring at him, "Fuck you." He said again. 

"Please do." 

Virgil smiled, "What? Begging me already?" 

Janus went pink, "That's not fair."

"Yeah, yeah. Are we doing this or not?"

* * *

A few hours later Roman was sitting in Virgil's room.

"Again?" He asked. 

"Yeah." 

Roman paused, "He's not good for you, Virgil." 

"I know!" Virgil snapped. He sighed. "Sorry. But I know."

"So why do you keep going back to him?" 

"I don't. It's just. . . " He paused. "He comes to me and I don't know how to refuse him." 

Roman frowned, "Virgil, you can always refuse him." 

Virgil shook his head, "No, it's not that. It's like. . . I don't want to."

Roman stared at him. "But last week you told me that you didn't- "

"I told you that I shouldn't." 

"Then why do you keep doing it?" 

Virgil groaned in frustration, "I don't know! Maybe just cause I'm used to it? I mean, I only left a few months ago and I was with him for so long before that. . . " 

Roman took his hand, "Can you promise me that you won't do it again? You're just torturing yourself more." 

Virgil sighed, "I promise." 

* * *

"Hello, Virgil." 

Virgil looked up to see Janus standing over him, "Back again? That was quick."

Janus smiled, "Is that a problem?" 

Virgil shrugged, "You're just more needy than I thought." 

Janus looked offended, "You're the one who keeps agreeing to it." 

"You're the one who keeps barging into my room." 

"That's fair."

Virgil grabbed Janus by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. 

A few moments later he broke away, "This doesn't mean anything." 

Janus smiled, "Of course not." 

_I really am bad at keeping promises._

* * *

_It didn't mean anything._ Janus reminded himself. _Just because it's the third time doesn't mean-_

"Janus?" 

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Remus opening his door. 

"Can I come in?" 

Janus nodded and Remus walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat down next to Janus. "Are you okay?" 

Janus tried to look confused by the question, "Why do you ask?" 

Remus sighed, "Janus, you know I can tell when something is wrong. What happened?" 

Janus paused. "I went to Virgil again." 

"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "We talked about this, Janus." 

"Don't you think I know that?" 

Remus hesitantly took Janus's hand, "Listen, I know you miss him. I miss him too. But the thing is. . . You can't keep doing this. It's just hurting you more." 

"I know." 

"Do you?" 

Janus pulled his hand away, "Yes. I've heard it a million times, Remus. I'm just convincing myself that he still cares, and eventually I'll have to end it and lose him all over again so I should just get it over with already. I know." Janus stood up. "Don't you think you should be getting going?" 

Remus sighed, "Just promise me you'll try." 

"I'm not making a promise I can't keep." 

Remus stood up to face him, "Then maybe I can help." 

Janus didn't seem convinced, "How?" 

Remus smiled, "I could be a distraction. To help you forget about him." 

Janus frowned, "I feel like I should be worried about what you're implying."

Remus put his hands on Janus's waist and pulled him forward, "Come on! It wouldn't be the first time." 

Janus laughed lightly, "Why not? Perhaps it'll be fun." 

* * *

Virgil was pacing his room. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ He groaned. _Do I seriously have no impulse control? I'm the embodiment of impulse control!_

 _Stupid Janus._ He sighed. He couldn't blame Janus. It was both their faults. He sat down on his bed. _Think, Virgil. Why do you keep doing it?_ Several reasons popped into his head. _Because I'm used to it, because it's familiar, and because I miss him._ He frowned, that was a new one. _I miss him? So do I want to be with him again?_ He knew the answer to that. _It ended horribly last time. I can't allow myself to get hurt like that again._

So why did he miss him? _What do I want?_ He frowned. What _did_ he want? He wasn't sure. In the moment he knew what he had wanted, but in the long term. . . _In the long term this needs to end. I left for a reason, and I need to end it for good._

* * *

Janus was staring at Virgil's door. It had been several days since his talk with Remus and once again he was about to do something that he would regret. 

He opened Virgil's door. 

Virgil looked up at him, "It's you." 

"Disappointed?" 

Virgil sighed, "Just come in. We need to talk." 

Talk? That was new. Janus walked up to him and smiled, "What would you like to talk about my darling?" 

"Don't call me that." Virgil snapped immediately. He sighed. There was no reason to get mad at him. He just needed to phrase what he was thinking. "This can't keep going on." 

"What do you mean?" Janus asked immediately. 

"Whatever is happening between us right now. It can't continue."

_Oh._ Janus had feared as much. "Why?"

Virgil sighed, "It's not good for either of us." 

Janus put his hand under Virgil's chin and tilted it upwards, "Let's pretend it is."

"Janus, no." _Just don't look at him._ Virgil though over and over again. _Don't look at him and you'll be fine._

Janus took his hand and laced their fingers together. "Virgil, please. I missed you." 

Virgil glanced at him and any self control he might have had was gone. He grabbed the front of Janus's shirt and pulled him into a kiss. 

* * *

Remus was staring at his ceiling. Janus was gone again and he knew exactly what he was doing. _Why can't he just listen to me? Is it that hard? He must know that it's bad for him. He's not that stupid._ Remus sighed. _Then why isn't he doing anything about it? Knowing him, he's probably still in love with Virgil._

Remus felt like punching something, _he's gonna get himself hurt again! Why can't he see that?_

Remus sat up on his bed. There was only one thing left that he could do. 

* * *

Later that evening Remus pulled a Janus. He walked into Virgil's room without knocking. 

Virgil nearly fell off of his bed when he saw him, "What are you doing here?" 

Remus put his hands up, "I come in peace."

"Sure you do." 

"I'm serious!" 

"Right. What do you want?"

Remus closed the door and shifted uncomfortably. "It's about Janus." 

"Oh." Virgil wouldn't meet his eyes. "What about him?" 

"I know what's been going on, and. . . " Remus sighed. "It really needs to stop."

Virgil frowned, "I know that. But why do you care?" 

"I don't want him to get hurt again, and if this continues he will." 

"So why are you talking to me?" Virgil asked. "Can't you just tell him that?" 

"I did." Remus grumbled. "He doesn't listen." 

Virgil shrugged, "Sounds like a him problem." 

Remus glared at him, "Do you really care that little?" 

Virgil blinked, "Wait, I didn't mean- " he sighed. "I'm sorry. But I've tried to end it. He managed to. . . I don't know. Distract me." 

"Well if you got distracted then obviously you don't want it to end completely."

Virgil glared at him, "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"It means that if you really wanted it to end, then it would have. There's nothing stopping you. You're not as trapped as you were before." 

"Oh." Virgil stared at the floor. "I guess. . . I don't know. Maybe you're right." 

Remus sighed, "I don't think you realize how much it's hurting him."

Virgil laughed bitterly, "Well that wouldn't be a first. Why don't you tell me, then?" 

Remus frowned, "Right. The thing is, Virgil. He's obsessed." 

"With me?" 

"With the idea of you. He somehow got it into his head that if this continues long enough, you'll come back." 

"I won't." 

Remus sighed, "Trust me, I know. But it means that he keeps hanging on to any part of you that he has left. And in this case, it's this whole thing that's going on." 

Virgil stared at the floor, "I didn't. . . I didn't realize." He paused. "God, I'm stupid. Of course that's why he's doing it." 

"There's more." 

Virgil sighed, "I'm not sure if I want to hear it." 

Remus continued anyway, "I've tried to help him, and I've tried to convince him to stop this whole thing, and. . . well, a few times since you've left I've tried distracting him from it."

Virgil frowned, "Do I want to know what you mean by that?" 

Remus laughed, "Probably not. But there were times. . . " Remus's smile faded. "He's called me your name before, Virgil. And I. . . I don't think he even noticed." 

Virgil stared at him, "Oh." He said softly. 

"Yeah." Remus shrugged. "Just keep all that in mind, okay? And try to end it. Please." 

"Right." Virgil watched Remus leave. _How did I not realize?_

* * *

Virgil glanced up as Janus walked into his room. He stood up. _This is it. Just say it._

"This has to end."

To his surprise, Janus laughed. "Sure it does."

"I'm serious." 

"I doubt that." 

Virgil glared at him, "Listen to me for once, will you? We're not doing this anymore. It's bad for me, and. . . and it's especially bad for you."

Janus frowned. Virgil could see him trying to figure out every intention behind his words. "What do you mean by that?"

Virgil sighed, "You can't pretend that I'm coming back anymore, and I'm sorry for making you think that I was." 

Surprise momentarily flickered over Janus's face, "I didn't think that." 

"You're lying." 

Janus took a step towards him, "Maybe I am, does it matter?" 

"Yes."

Janus took Virgil's hand, "You don't have to do this. Who cares what I think? We could- " 

Virgil pulled his hand away, "No." 

He could practically see Janus's heart shatter for a second time. 

"Virgil- " he started to say. 

"No." Virgil said again. "I'm not coming back, and you know that. Whatever we're doing isn't helping that."

Moments passed in silence. Virgil thought Janus might yell at him, but to his surprise Janus just sighed in defeat, "Remus talked to you, didn't he?" 

Virgil blinked, "Yes, what does- " 

But Janus was already gone. He walked into Remus's room. "I hope you're happy." He said coldly. 

Remus blinked, "About what? What's going on?" 

"Virgil ended it." 

"Oh." Remus tried for a smile. "Well that's good, right? I mean at least- " 

"He's gone!" Janus yelled. "Again! And this time it's your fault, not mine!" 

Remus stared at him. And finally the anger that had been accumulating for months finally broke the surface. "My fault." He repeated. "And who's the one who drove him away in the first place? Who's the one who yelled at him, and argued with him until he finally had enough? I'm pretty sure that wasn't me." 

Janus looked like he had just been slapped, "But- " 

"And how could he be gone again?" Remus continued. "He never came back, Janus! You just kept pretending that he did! You thought that you finally got him back, and you didn't!"

"Shut up." Janus said quietly. 

Remus kept going, "I kept trying to help you, and you wouldn't listen! You never listen! Years ago I told you that you should have broken up with him and did you? No! Of course you didn't! And look what happened! He broke your heart, and he managed to do it again!" 

"Shut up, Virgil! For once in your life!" 

The color drained from Janus's face. "Oh." He said softly. He sat down on the ground. "How many times have I called you that?" 

"Several." Remus went to sit next to him. 

"I'm sorry." Said Janus. 

Remus sighed, "It's fine. I shouldn't have gotten angry either." 

Janus shook his head, "No. You had every right to." He paused. "I'm sorry." He said again.

"It's fine." Remus said automatically. 

"No, it's not. You were trying to help me, and I got mad at you for it. I should've listened to you years ago."

Remus laughed softly, "Yeah, you really should've." 

"I'm sorry." 

"It's- " Remus paused. "It's not fine. But I forgive you." 

"I don't deserve that."

"Maybe not. Who's to say?" 

Janus put his head in his hands, "Why was I so stupid?" 

"You were blinded by love." Remus said dramatically. 

Janus sighed, "The sad thing is that you're probably right." 

Remus nodded, "You are one lovesick idiot." 

"Yeah, I am." Janus stood up. "I need to think. I'll. . . I'll talk to you later." 

Remus watched him leave. _I hope he'll be okay._

* * *

The next day Remus was eating breakfast alone. He had been hoping that Janus would show up, but so far that hadn't happened. 

He was almost done when he heard someone enter. He looked up to see Janus walking towards him. 

Janus smiled at him, "Good morning." 

Remus couldn't take in what he was seeing. Janus was smiling. For no apparent reason. That was new. 

"You seem to be doing a lot better." Remus noted. "Not staring into space thinking about who knows what anymore." 

Janus shrugged, "I was doing a lot of thinking. I've realized things might be better off from now on." 

Remus raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh? Do tell." 

Janus laughed, "It's not much. I just realized that I'm probably better off without Virgil." 

There it was. Remus was wondering when that name would show up. 

"You do?" Asked Remus. "That's new." 

"It is. I don't think he was ever good for me to be honest. We never really. . . worked." 

"Huh." Remus was staring at Janus. "That's. . . You finally admitted that." 

"I suppose." Janus shrugged. "But enough about him. I don't think talking about him constantly is going to help me move on. What's for breakfast?" 

Remus smiled, "I made pancakes!"

Janus frowned, "That sounds too good to be true." 

"I used blood instead of water."

"Ah." Janus paused. "I think I'll eat something else." 

Remus shrugged, "Suit yourself." 

He watched Janus search through the cupboards. _He really is doing better. And I don't think he's faking it._ He sighed. _Things are gonna be a lot quieter around here now. That is, until one of us decides to go bother the light sides. But who knows when that will happen. Could be years, or it could be days. Whenever it is. . ._ He looked at Janus, who was humming while pouring himself a bowl of cereal. _Maybe by then he'll be better._


End file.
